Harry
Early the next morning, after dividing who will find allies and who will lead the assault on the Payne Province, the mansion goes from eased... to outright ballistic.
All thanks to Zachariah Victor's decision making.
"What does he mean I can't go?!" Amethyst fumes at me from the other side of the bedroom. "I need to be out there! With you! With my family!"
I feel for my girl, I do, but I agree with Zach. Amethyst cannot be part of our first move against the Payne clan.
"You need to stay here!" I yell back, knowing she won't calm down unless our intensities match and cancel each other out. "I'm not going to lose you, baby... I can't. You're too valuable!"
She scoffs, sinisterly clicking her tongue as she turns away from me. "Valuable? If that's what I am, I should be heading out with everyone else!"
"You heard what Zach said," I respond, ignoring her tone. "He recognized you as alpha when he was presumed dead... that means that you are now in line to be alpha if anything goes wrong!"
"I don't care about that right now, Harry!" She shouts, still facing away from me. "After everything that has happened to me, I deserve to be out there in the fight!"
"Grayson will be here with you!" I exclaim. She needs to care.
"How nostalgic," She sneers under her breath. "Remember what happened the last time both of us were left here at the mansion alone?"
I roll my eyes, storming towards her tense figure hovering by my bedroom window. I've come to notice it's her go-to spot when thoughts are all-consuming.
"Baby, please..." I beg Amethyst, my hands fast to rub her shoulders. Luckily, she doesn't shove them off. "You need to trust me. Trust Zach, your alpha and cousin, if I might add."
"Trust you and my alpha?" She spits out, her muscles tensing up under my touch. "Do you hear yourself? You should want me by your side!"
That statement is enough for me to spin her around, forcing her to look nowhere else but my gaze.
"You are both leopard and wolf, Amethyst," I state, the gravity of my words now weighing on both of us. "The Payne clan doesn't know that, and I intend to keep it that way. I am not going to fight a fellow alpha over something we both agree on. Do you understand?"
Amethyst is fast to counter. "But Harry, I-"
"Do you understand?!" I snap more harshly, making her flinch back within my grasp.
Fuck. Too much alpha.
My composure drops with the sight of her alarm and I let go of her shoulders, allowing our breathing to calm down. Our eyes are locked on each other, unwavering in the heat of the conversation.
I pull her to my chest, burying my face into the crook of her neck.
"I'm sorry. Just promise me you'll stay here," I beg her, my voice muffled against her warm skin. "Promise me."
Moments pass before she releases a long exhale, nodding against my chest.
I hold her close for another minute longer before breaking apart, kissing her forehead before heading into the closet. From inside the walk-in, I hear the shower start.
Curious, I step out and see pieces of clothes leading into the bathroom doorway, up until the very last undergarment. Amethyst is out of sight, but her actions speak volumes.
My feet follow her trail of breadcrumbs to peek my head past the door frame of the bathroom.
The silhouette of Amethyst's body is fogged up by steam, illuminated by the skylight in the ceiling. Her back is to me, which makes my mind wander to dangerous, seductive places.
I am baffled by how hot and cold we can be. One moment fighting, the next desiring.
"Come here," She tells me, barely looking over her shoulder... not even making eye contact.
"I like this vantage point," I reply, keeping my determination on her.
Suddenly her silhouette moves out of the steam into crisp clarity, her bare feet padding towards me while her naked body drips with moisture on the floor.
She is bold as she grabs my shirt at the chest, tugging me towards the shower.
"Come here," She says again, this time demanding and laden with need.
Maybe it's the argument we just had, the reality of the situation, but it all layers over each other as she makes me undress, my pride unraveling right under her stare.
When I finally step into the shower, my lips go straight for her neck and her fingertips rake against my bare torso with no time to waste.
///
I can feel Derek's nervousness as he watches vehicles back out of the garage, preparing to venture out of our territory to find allies on foot and by car.
"Do they have to take all of them?" He grumbles warily, his gaze following his favorite Jeep.
"We have to cover miles of ground within hours, Derek," I state simply, folding my arms across my chest. "All while simultaneously attacking a Province."
He shakes his head, turning away from the mass of people on the front lawn of the mansion. Probably so they don't see his apprehension.
He keeps his words hushed. "Is this going to work?" He asks me, worry etched in his face.
"I don't know," I answer honestly, a ball of anxiety rolling circles in my stomach. "We have to at least try."
"Liam will have reinforcements in his own territory regardless if he's there or not," Derek explains. "It will be a bloodbath if we don't have a thorough plan."
I glance at him briefly, replaying the strategy in my head on a loop. "That's why only three wolves and three leopards are infiltrating the Payne Province," I answer. "The less of us in the crossfire, the better."
"The less of us, the more territory to cover..." Derek thinks aloud, countering me as always.
"Stop doubting and get the group ready to leave," I comment in annoyance.
Derek gives me a lazy salute, heading down to the frost-covered lawn where the Victor clan and Gabe are waiting instructions next to the SUV, Jesse already in the driver's seat.
Footsteps approach me from behind, and Grayson's voice is calm against the winter air.
"The mansion is prepared for lockdown as you requested," He says. I turn to face him, and his expression is stern with duty.
I nod once, taking note of Amethyst hovering near the front doors in the background. "Thank you, Grayson."
"Harry, why did you ask me to stay here? Again?" He asks, catching me off guard.
I step towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder. I can feel the uneasiness pulsing through his sweatshirt.
"I asked you to stay because you have been a friend to Amethyst," I reply lowly, unafraid to tell him the truth. "If anything were to happen to me, I feel confident knowing you would take care of her."
Grayson nods in understanding, but his eyebrows quickly scrunch into a frown. "This isn't a opportunity for redemption from last time, is it?"
His question makes me smile in response, tightening my hold on his shoulder. "Call it whatever you'd like."
Grayson's frown turns into a shy grin, and his eyes dart back to Amethyst before returning to me.
As if Grayson can read my mind, he moves aside, leaving the path open between her and I.
Her stare gashes into my body, every step in her direction a fight between light and heavy. She starts to walk towards me, her feet gaining into a jog until she crashes into my chest.
My arms hold Amethyst close, tight and secure in the moment. I want her to feel my protection, my love... me. Both of us are shaking, our heartbeats ricocheting tremors.
The wetness of tears on the base of my neck is a signal to hold her even tighter.
"If you don't come back I swe-" She whispers.
"-I'll come back, angel," I cut in, grasping her face in my hands. My thumbs swipe away stray tears as emotions swell up in my own eyes.
Amethyst willingly leans into my touch, closing her eyes and relishing in these last moments.
"I know I yelled at you, and you yelled at me... but I still love you," She says softly, opening her eyes on the last syllable.
"Thank god," I laugh before gently kissing her lips.
I do not want to let this girl go. Nevertheless, for the sake of her living the life she deserves, I must.
When we separate, I pull away completely, walking backwards towards the lawn. I stretch the seconds as long as I can to get one last look at my home... my territory. Snow-capped and beautiful.
Everybody loads up into the SUV as the engines roar to life all around the mansion, and I signal for them to head out to the surrounding territories with a simple wave of my hand.
The mass movement of wheels against snowy ground electrifies the atmosphere, embarking on a mission that could definitely end in a bloodbath, like Derek said.
I slide into the passenger seat as Jesse turns on the ignition, not hesitating to drive into the forest... with cases of gasoline and flares rattling in the trunk.
///
After a grueling seven-hour trek through what seemed like endless mountains and plains, we make it to the Payne Province, formerly known as Reno.
An expanse of desert perfect for these hawks to spread their wings.
Perched on the hillside looking over the city, we watch from the SUV as hawks circle above the city center. Armored vehicles are lined up and roaming the streets, but the city is relatively calm this late afternoon.
The downside is that the Payne clan has the upper hand of air surveillance, leaving us with little options for an infiltration.
"We can't just drive down there, ring the doorbell, and say, 'Excuse me, where do you keep your bombs? We'd like to blow up your territory!'" Derek scoffs, gesturing towards the city between Jesse and I.
"I told you to stop doubting," I groan, rolling my eyes.
"And I told you we needed a plan!" He snaps back. "What do you expect us to do? Barrel down this hill into the city and rain down hell?"
I shrug nonchalantly, feeling a bit sarcastic and calmer than usual. "Careful. Keep talking and you'll come up with a plan yourself."
Derek huffs, slouching back down in his seat. I look over at Jesse who is clutching the radio, listening for any transmissions from the Majid clan... from anyone. Nothing yet.
Suddenly, Derek's antics become enticing. Especially with the gasoline and flares in the back.
Why rain down hell when we could spill it and set it ablaze?
"Victor clan," I say, turning around in my seat to face everybody in the car. "Would you say you're fast?"
Sly smiles rise on Zachariah, Ziaya, and Emira's faces, answering my inquiry without words.
I click my tongue, confidence building by the second. "We may need to start a fire."
In a rush, we all exit the car and shift into our instincts. Jesse is the only one staying behind, the pair of eyes we need from above the Province.
He gives each Victor leopard a case of gasoline and each Styles wolf a flare to hold between their teeth, all of us cautious with the task at hand.
This is not what I meant, Derek growls, causing everyone to rumble with laughter.
"Pair up and go to different sides of the city," Jesse instructs. "Once the fuel trails are laid out, strike the flares."
Derek and Emira peel off from the group and sneak across to the adjacent hillside as Ziaya and Gabriel do the same, leaving Zachariah and I to pair up.
Without warning, Zach pushes off his hind legs into a sprint towards the city. Ziaya and Emira do the same as their alpha within a second.
Once I see Derek and Gabe lunge in anticipation, I mirror them, and wait for the leopards to maze through the streets of the city center.
From up top, we watch as the Victors grow smaller in size the further they go until the buildings shield them from sight.
Now! I yell to the boys, launching into a run down the hill.
Everything becomes chaotic after that.
The next minutes are filled with running the paths the Victors have laid out, the sickly smell of gasoline wafting heavily against the dry desert.
I loosely trail Zach from behind, watching him angrily douse every available surface... cars, buildings, streets...
Around the city, the sound of bullets and explosions erupt, leaving me to assume that the Payne clan has spotted all of us on a suicide mission.
Light the flare! Zachariah roars at the end of his trail, tossing the last of his fuel towards the exhaust pipe of an armored vehicle driving slowly down the street.
I strike my flare against the ground and toss it at the gasoline, watching as the street ahead of me engulfs in flames. The fire snakes down the street towards the armored car, causing the back end to explode. The rest of the fuel on the ground ignites, tall flames slither the direction we sprinted in.
The city grows in temperature by the second, the heat of the fires and the desert plains scorching our fur.
We reunite with Derek and Emira at an intersection, but their attention is focused on the skies above.
Hawks go from circling the city center to diving one by one into the streets, determined to pick us off one by one.
Looks like they're wanting to give us a tour, Derek laughs, bracing for the hawks to swoop in.
Jokes on them, we already did the self-guided tour, Emira chuckles, growling eagerly at the hawks closing in on our location.
Suddenly, a smell much stronger than gasoline starts to radiate through the city, the asphalt beneath our paws trembling into a massive quake.
Get out of the city center! Hurry! Gabe howls from around the corner, him and Ziaya dashing towards the hillside on the other side of the city.
We don't bother arguing. There's nothing left to do but run.
What's happening?! I shout above the growing turbulence, the incline of the ridge taking us above the madness.
Gabe ignores me until all of us make it to the top of the slope, looking down on the Payne Province once more.
The only difference this time? It's disguised in fire.
Ziaya and I found a gas line that runs through the city, Gabe answers easily. With how small the city is, it's only a matter of time.
A matter of time for what? Derek asks.
The simultaneous explosions of buildings toppling, roads cracking, and fires churning answers that question, leaving Reno in a ruthless detonation from the ground up.